Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Guest post: “No Tell” Ro-Tel Cheese Dip

Hey guys! I’m Bianca, a vegan from Memphis who runs a little blog called Vegan Crunk. Glauce asked me to fill in for her while she’s away with a guest post on my favorite ingredient.

It didn’t take me long to decide what that fave ingredient was! Nutritional yeast! Or “nooch” as so many vegans affectionately call it. Glauce said nutritional yeast isn’t as popular in her area as it is in the U.S., and I know she has a lot of international readers, so let me explain.

Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast that’s technically a fungus. But don’t let that gross you out! It’s produced by culturing yeast with sugar cane and beet molasses for several days, and it has a rich cheesy, nutty flavor. Some brands are also packed with vitamin B-12, which vegans need for good health. It’s also a great source of protein.

I use nutritional yeast in all kinds of ways. It makes a great base for a vegan cheesy sauce for macaroni or steamed veggies. Just mix the nooch flakes with water or soymilk, flour, garlic powder, mustard, and vegan margarine on medium heat, and you’ve got yourself a tasty sauce.

It’s also excellent sprinkled on popcorn, and it makes a mighty-fine breading for fried tofu.

But today, I’m going to share my recipe for No-Tell Rotel Cheeze Dip, a nutritional yeast based nacho cheese dip that will be included in my upcoming vegan Southern comfort food cookbook. My book is due to hit stands in the U.S. in January, and it’ll be available on Amazon and such. For now, I’m calling the book Cookin’ Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South. Here’s a sneak peek!

Process the silk tofu, nutritional yeast, 1/2 cup of the Ro-Tel, olive oil, salt, turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder in a food processor until smooth, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the processor.

Transfer to dip to a small saucepan and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of the Ro-Tel. Heat on low for 5 to 7 minutes or until bubbly. Immediately remove from heat and serve.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you so much, Bianca!

I love your blog and it was lovely of you to find time in this crazy life to be part of my blog :)

Hope you all enjoyed reading this guest post as much as I did and I can't wait to try the recipe! And don't forget to get a copy of her book in January!

Thanks for this Bianca! :) Glauce's totally right, we don't really do much with nooch in Ireland, it's not well known at all! I use it on popcorn sometimes but there's a tub of it at home that is not used enough...that must be rectified!

LinkWithin

About Me

I'm having the opportunity to spend my time doing two things that I love: write (I'm a journalist) and cook.
And this blog is about writing about veganism. If you love vegan food and can feel happy with this small pleasure, welcome to my universe! Hope we can have fun together.
And a little more about me: I'm living in Dublin with my husband, Matteo, I play bass, I love hardcore and I'm straight edge and me and Matteo run an independent hardcore label ;-)